Needing You
by willa76
Summary: What happened after Jimmy shot Hopkins and rescued Lou? I wanted to know too, so here is a little glimpse at what I had in mind.


So I have bought a new computer, and started sorting out old documents etc and found this in amongst it all. Thought I would post it. Knowing me, it won't lead to a story, but I thought it read alright as a one shot also.

Takes place Season 2 episode 16 – Color Blind

Enjoy

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"Lou, I'm sorry honey,"

Jimmy held onto her as tight as he could. He couldn't believe that someone had taken Lou from him so quick and so unexpected.

It had been the perfect evening, filled with talk, laughter, dancing and magic. It was something that they both needed. Lou and Jimmy had both had a rough few weeks. Both experiencing heart ache and trying to learn that life still rode on.

Today, just for a moment in time, they allowed themselves to forget.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered once again. His hands holding her to him, afraid that if he pulled them away he would see that she was in fact not alright.

He was meant to be there for her, protect her, be the second gun Teaspoon had sent him to be. But he had let her down.

If anything had happened to her he would never be able to forgive himself, nor could he look into the eyes of his family ever again.

"I'm so sorry," He kissed the top of her head and pulled her to him even more.

"I'm ok Jimmy," Lou finally muttered into his chest, "Just a little shaken up, and more than a little cold."

Jimmy picked Lou up from the ground and placed her on top of the old, dry, log of wood that she was barely standing on a moment ago. It was time to see what damage had been done. He prayed to whoever was listening that there was not one mark on her.

The sound of Hopkins moaning to the right of them had both their eyes looking in the wounded man's direction.

"He needs a Doctor." Lou whispered, already knowing that Jimmy was not going to fetch a Doc for the injured gun man.

"He's got a long walk a head of him then." Jimmy knelt down in front of Lou, his eyes searching for any sign that she was not as well as she said she was.

"I'm alright Jimmy," there was a hint of a smile in her tone. "I just want a hot bath and a warm bed." Jimmy grabbed her small chin with one of his hands. He wanted to see the truth in her eyes. He wanted to see that she was in deed ok.

He frowned at the big dark marks under her tired eyes, and the ashen look to her already pale skin.

"You get any sleep last night?" Lou shook her head no at Jimmy's question. "And you were out here all night?"

"I don't know. I was knocked out for a bit. Don't even remember getting out here." Lou looked around her surroundings, it was rather beautiful. It's a shame that it's now tainted with a bad memory.

"Come on, we'll head back to Willow Springs." Jimmy helped Lou up from the log. Once she was safely on her own two feet he wandered over to bring Sundance closer, and to pick up his guns he had thrown to the ground.

As he bent down to pick one up, he glanced Hopkins way, seeing him moving around on the ground, trying to pull himself up against a rock.

Jimmy's finger danced over the trigger of one of his colts. It would be so easy to kill him, to kill him here and now and to never look back.

"Don't you do it Jimmy." Lou called out, "He's not worth it."

"That's where you're wrong Lou. After what he's done, I have plenty reason. And I know seven others back at home who wouldn't hold it against me."

"Maybe not. But I don't want that with me. I don't want you killing someone because of me."

Jimmy looked back over to Hopkins. It amazed him that although Lou had nothing but a bad experience with this man, she was still wanting to spare him.

Jimmy couldn't help but smile at that.

He knew damn well that if the boot was on the other foot, and it was he that had the noose around his neck, Lou would kill Hopkins not sparing him another thought.

"I can't believe I'm going along with this," He snorted under his breath. "Come on Lou, let's get you back."

Jimmy was fastening his gun holster back when he heard Lou squeal. His eyes snapped to her crumpled form where she had hit the ground. "Lou?" he questioned wondering what the hell had just happened. He could still see Hopkins, so knew that he wasn't the cause.

"It's ok Jimmy. I think my legs are still playing catch up." Jimmy could sense that Lou was embarrassed. "I've been on the tips of my toes for so long I think the rest of my legs went to sleep."

Jimmy groaned out loud as he helped Lou up from the ground once again. "You're not helping Hopkins case Lou."

"Just get me on the damn horse Jimmy," Lou's frustration didn't go unnoticed by Jimmy. Hell he was surprised that she hadn't snapped already.

Jimmy picked her up and carried her to his mount. With some help from Lou, he managed to get her up on the saddle. He frowned when he saw her wiggle as far back as she could go, without slipping off the ass end of the horse.

"I'll sit behind," Jimmy told her not meeting her eyes, "I can't trust that you won't go to sleep." He told her. "It'll be safer if you rode in front."

Lou didn't argue she just slid forward again. Jimmy knew he had made the right decision, because if she wasn't tired then she would be fighting him on everything.

"This stupid dress," Lou pulled and adjusted the pretty blue dress she had bought the previous day. Jimmy had thought she looked beautiful in it. He hadn't really spent much time with Lou in a dress, so he really loved seeing her looking so girly. But now, like Lou, he hated the bloody thing.

He couldn't help but wonder if Hopkins would have tried what he did, if Lou was dressed in her everyday boys wear.

Not wanting to dwell on what may or may not have been, Jimmy mounted his horse also. He kept one hand around Lou, while the other held the reins.

He narrowed his eyes at Hopkins, to see that the old bugger had finally seemed to have pulled himself up against a rock.

"I will have my revenge Hickok."

"Next time, I won't aim for your shoulder." Jimmy promised, before riding off.

After a couple of miles, Jimmy noticed Lou had gone to sleep. Her head hung loosely to the side, while her breathing had evened out.

He was in two minds, whether to slow down and let her rest or to keep the pace he was doing so she could rest in a bed.

Thinking that a warm bed is what she needed, he kept at the same pace.

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Once back in Willow Springs, he had to wake her as they were drawing the attention of many of the town folk.

"Lou, I'm going to help you down now." Lou grunted, as she held her hands out to Jimmy.

She shivered from cold now that the heat she was getting from Jimmy had gone. "Can you ask him for a bath?" Lou yawned as she readied her tired body.

"You don't want to sleep first?" Jimmy questioned, seeing how tired she was.

"No, I'm too dirty. It will be nice to have a hot bath and slip into clean bedding." Lou smiled as she could almost feel what she was imagining.

"You got it Lou. But we have to make it inside first." He guided her up the stairs, pausing at the front desk and asking for a bath to be poured. Then he helped Lou up the long stair case, and into their room.

"I'm so cold," Lou's teeth chattered as her fingers started to struggle with her dress.

Jimmy rolled his eyes, wondering if God was punishing him. "Here Lou, let me." Jimmy told her as he reached for one of her arms and pulled her closer.

His hands, though not shaking from the cold, were shaking all the same as he unbuttoned Lou's dress for her.

He could see that she was worn out, because she didn't even care that Jimmy was seeing more of her than they both ever thought.

"I'll go find out how that bath is coming along." He told her, looking anywhere but in her direction.

Lou was too tired to even answer him back. She grabbed the blanket off the bed wanting to wrap herself up in it, but she thought better, considering how dirty she was.

"I'm going to freeze to de…" Lou stopped herself from saying what she was thinking. She had thought about dying too much already today, she didn't want to think about it anymore.

Jimmy arrived back a moment later, "It's ready Lou." He saw that she was still in a state of undress. There was no way he would allow her to walk to the bath room looking like she does.

He took his jacket off of him and wrapped it around Lou. "Follow me honey." With a hand at the small of her back, he led her to the steaming hot bath, filled to the top with bubbles.

Lou nearly cried at the sight. She had been thinking about that bath all night long. Dropping the jacket, not even bothering to wait for Jimmy to leave the room, she slid into the tub. "Oh my goodness," she moaned as her whole body became instantly heated.

Jimmy didn't know where to look, or what to do. He was about to leave the room, when Lou slid all the way under the water.

Shit had she fallen asleep? He wondered to himself, giving her another ten seconds before he was going to pull her out.

At about eight she finally came to the top gasping for breath, and covered in bubbles.

"Jez Lou, you really know how to scare a man."

"Jimmy." Lou turned her head to look at him, her cheeks bright pink from the warmth of the bath. "Are you getting your own bath, or are you joining me?"

Jimmy smirked at how brash Lou was being. He'd never seen her like this, and he had no idea where it had come from considering the night she'd had.

"Lou I don't think that is somewhere we…"

"If I asked you to, would you?" She didn't take her eyes off of Jimmy. "Can you please come in here with me?"

"Lou I…"

"Please Jimmy."

Jimmy noticed that Lou wasn't watching him, which probably should have bothered him, but instead it was actually a relief.

Jimmy took his clothes off, pausing when he came to completely removing his long johns. What in the hell was he doing?

He glanced side ways to see Lou was still keeping her eyes elsewhere, in fact he noticed that she was running her fingers over her right knee.

Jimmy narrowed his eyes on the red raw graze that covered her pale skin. He could also see some dark bruising starting to surround the area.

"Is it sore?" he asked, as she continued to lightly ghost her fingers over the wound.

"It stung a little when I first got in, but now…not so much."

Lou turned her eyes towards Jimmy. She took a minute to take in his naked chest, but frowned when she saw that he hadn't removed everything.

Looking back up to his eyes, she could see the hesitation, and she knew that if she was really thinking about things she would be just as hesitant as him.

She lifted one of her arms out of the hot bath water and held it out to him, "Please Jimmy, don't think, just get in."

Jimmy kept his eyes locked with hers, maybe if he was a stronger man he would leave, but he couldn't deny that a small part of him had wanted this for some time now.

So with their eyes still holding the others, Jimmy shed everything and walked closer to the bath, lifting Lou's hand in his.

He smiled as he leant down and bought her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers just lightly.

Lou sat forward, making room for Jimmy, who slowly eased down in the hot water behind her.

Once Jimmy was settled with his back resting against the bath, he spread his legs either side of Lou. Lou taking that as her invitation to nestle back, she did so, resting the back of her head on Jimmy's chest.

Jimmy was sitting stock still, too scared to move in case he touched something he had no right in touching.

Lou on the other hand, had other ideas. She reached for both of Jimmy's hands, bringing them both up out of the water to rest on her naked torso.

"Lou?"

"Touch me Jimmy,"

"Lou, I…"

Lou placed one of her hands a top of one of Jimmy's. She threaded her fingers with his and started to move them up her body, to her breasts.

"I need this." Lou sighed, "Please Jimmy, I want this."

Jimmy knew in his heart and his mind that this was so wrong, but how could it be wrong when it felt so good?

It wasn't long before Jimmy's hands moved over Lou's body on their own accord.

His lips kissed her soft neck and behind her ear, as one of his hands caressed her breast and the other travelled lower to her woman hood.

His fingers took their time exploring her, inside and out. Jimmy let Lou set the rhythm. He was just happily lost in the feel of her.

Lou twisted her body around to straddle Jimmy. She didn't meet his eyes as her hand came between them and she bought him to her entrance.

Slowly she eased down on him, both their eyes rolling to the back of their heads, as they started to move.

Jimmy's hands came up to cradle Lou's face making her look at him. He wanted to see her, he needed her to see him, what he didn't expect is to see tears in her eyes.

Jimmy stopped moving instantly.

Neither said a thing as they stared into the others eyes. Jimmy started feeling sick. He knew that this wasn't a good idea.

"I thought I was going to die," Lou sobbed, "My feet were cramping and my legs were becoming so sore, and the log was so wobbly, I was too scared to move." She cried, "And then I thought about you coming after me. I thought about Hopkins getting exactly what he wanted, and I didn't want that. I didn't want him to win." Lou broke eye contact and looked down at Jimmy's chest.

"I didn't want you to see me like that. I didn't want you to come at all." Jimmy's heart was breaking at the sight of her tears, and the sadness in her voice, "I kept wanting to put my feet flat, or just to step off the log completely, and I tried, I did," She nodded, "but the rope tugged tight on my neck. I was just to chicken to just do it."

Jimmy shook his head, horrified at the thought of her even thinking that way. He grabbed her chin and tilted her head back up so he could see her again.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you didn't do anything stupid. I will always come for you Lou, always, so you think about that, and you think about how I would feel if I found you in less than perfect condition."

His thumbs wiped away some of her tears, "You never give up, do you hear me?"

It took Lou a minute or two before she nodded her head. "No honey, not good enough, I need to hear you say it."

Lou cried out and tried to look away, but Jimmy wasn't having any of that. He kept her eyes to him. "I need to hear it Lou."

"I'll never give up." she whispered.

Jimmy smiled sadly, because he knew Lou didn't believe any of the words she had just spoken. And if she didn't believe, then neither did he.

Tears dripped from Lou's chin and onto Jimmy's chest. He looked down at the small droplet. He couldn't help but also look at where he and she were still joined.

Lou seeing where Jimmy was looking, had her look down too. More tears sprung to her eyes.

Jimmy went to lift her by her hips, so he could slip out of her, but she shook her head no and started to slowly move once again. She still needed him.

"Can we please, just for tonight? I need to be close to you."

Jimmy never answered Lou. Instead his hands gripped her hips tighter and this time he helped her set the pace that they both needed.


End file.
